President's Day (Mercury)
President's Day is a public holiday that takes place on 31 March each year in Mercury. It is a national holiday. President's Day celebrations take place across mainland Mercury, although it is not widely observed in the Nova English Korea or Mercury's overseas territories.
History
President's Day was declared a national holiday when the nation was first founded in 2008, to commemorate the birthday of the nation's founder Joe Foxon.
Activities
Most communities across Mercury will hold organised celebrations for President's Day, including street parties, barbecues and games. The majority of businesses close for the day, so traditionally, people will stay in bed later than usual, before waking up to have breakfast, then going out to meet friends and family members. Generally, they then watch the national team play on television, or attend other sporting events that take place the same day, such as the Mercury Elite Hockey League play-off finals. After the match, people usually then congregate for street parties or at pubs and bars, and neighbourhoods will generally celebrate together for the evening, with firework displays and musical performances taking place later on.
Usually, people that are required to work on President's Day are mandated to have the following day off work instead, although essential services usually allocate the additional day off throughout the following week, so that the functions of these services are not adversely affected.
National football team match
The Mercury national football team traditionally arranges a home match to take place on President's Day. This tradition has taken place every year since 2011, with the exception of 2016, when the team competed in the inaugural FMF Confederations Cup. The team has never lost in the fixture, with the sole draw coming in the first staging, a 1–1 draw with Nova England. Only one edition has been played away from home, in 2017, when Mercury played away to Nova English Korea. In 2020, the match will be played by the Mercury national women's football team, as the men's team's Confederations Cup game against Craitland is unable to be moved.
Matches
| Year | Match type | Venue | Opposition | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoalsPenalties | |||||
| 2011 | World Cup qualification |  Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 Nova England
|
1 | 1 |
| 2012 | World Cup qualification | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 Flandria Secunda
|
1 | 0 |
| 2013 | World Cup qualification | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 Austbard
|
2 | 1 |
| 2014 | World Cup qualification | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 Lostisland
|
4 | 1 |
| 2015 | Friendly | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
Nova England
|
2 | 0 |
| 2017 | World Cup qualification |  Port Barret Stadium, Port Barret
|
Nova English Korea
|
3 | 1 |
| 2018 | Confederations Cup group stage | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 North Antarctica
|
2 | 1 |
| 2019 | World Cup qualification | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 Talenore
|
3 | 1 |
| 2020 | Cramer Cup (women's) | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 Craitland
|
1 | 0 |
| 2021 | TBD | Freddie Mercury Memorial Arena, Mercury
|
 TBD
|
||
See also
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